No justification provided, but the choice comes at a vulnerable time for Thai-US relationships.
PUBLISHED: 1 May 2025 at 17: 11
The Office of the Attorney General reported on Thursday that Thai prosecutors had recommended dropping Paul Chambers ‘ claims of lese-majeste and system crime.
Spokesman Sakkasem Nisaiyok claimed that OAG Region 6 prosecutors, which includes Phitsanulok state, where the charges were laid, had made the decision after having an evaluation of the inspection report submitted by the Muang city police station.
According to Mr. Sakkasem, the Provincial Police Region 6 captain may receive a copy of the demand to the Phitsanulok Provincial Court to dismiss the case against Mr. Chambers.
The statement provided no justification for the choice, stating only that the prosecution alleged that the evidence did not comply with the rules for enforcing a legal case under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the aristocratic slander law.
On its standard X account, the Pheu Thai Party, which is leading the coalition, posted a version of the OAG statement from Thursday.
The news comes at a vulnerable time in US-Thai relations. Unconfirmed rumors also suggested that the situation may have contributed to the delay in the talks on the 36 % tariffs that Washington wants to impose on Thai imports.
The Internal Security Operations Command ( Isoc )  , denying that there was a link and claiming that the charge’s location was merely coincidental.
The alleged center of the problem was a notice for a university conference on Thailand’s military and police reshuffles that the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore organized. Mr. Chambers, a recognized authority on the subject, was listed as a listener.
Mr. Chambers, 58, claimed to have neither written nor published the language, which has since been removed from the Institute’s site.
A week after the Third Army Region and Isoc filed a complaint with authorities in the county, Mr. Chambers, a teacher and special adviser on foreign interests at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, was arrested.
Lese-majeste is guilty of three to fifteen years in prison. Europeans are subject to very uncommon claims. Royal defamation accusations are usually brought alongside computer crimes charges, which can lengthen sentences even further.  ,
He was given bail after spending a night in jail, but the requirement was that he use an electronic monitoring device to his ankle.
He requested the removal of the unit on Monday of this week, saying that it had no indication of an intention to escape. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, the Court of Appeal overturned the demand on Wednesday and approved the device’s treatment.
After being charged, the Immigration Bureau seized Mr. Chambers ‘ id and issued his card. However, according to officials, there won’t be a imprisonment judgement until after the court case is over.
In Oklahoma, Mr. Chambers ‘ family fought for his release by influencing senators, representatives, and the US State Department. In a nearby news, Kit Chambers wrote an opinion piece arguing that trade negotiations between Thailand does not begin until his brother’s release.
The Thai government is required to value the right to free speech and academic freedom, as established by the Constitution and international agreements to which Thailand is a celebration, in a statement released this year.
Mr. Chambers, who holds a PhD in social science from Northern Illinois University, is well-known in scientific circles as a critic on politics and civil-military relationships in Asia, with a particular emphasis on Thailand. He has resided in Thailand since 1993.
In addition to Khaki Capital: A Political Economy of the Military in Southeast Asia, Praetorian Kingdom: A History of the Martial Ascension in Thailand, he has published two books.